Student Association

Members reflect on goals, initiatives of the past session

Spencer Bodian | Contributing photographer

Dylan Lustig, outgoing SA president, says his farewells. One of the initiatives he said he's most proud of is making sure student loan rates didn’t rise.

Monday night’s Student Association meeting was highlighted by cheerful farewell speeches from outgoing members as the general assembly reflected on the past year.

Throughout the meeting, members of the SA cabinet recapped successful events and initiatives from throughout the semester and said they hope the next session is even better.

“In the end it’s really about those initiatives you work on day in and day out and that come up in later sessions and actually affect students,” Student Life Chair PJ Alampi said. “If it doesn’t come up now, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a successful initiative.”

Most SA cabinet members are returning for the next session, although some will not hold the same positions. Current President Dylan Lustig will be studying abroad and is one of the few that will not return next semester. Lustig said this semester has been a learning experience for him.

“This semester has been crazy, it’s been fun and it’s been great to talk and to get to know so many people,” Lustig said. “This year has been a challenge and a learning experience, and I’ve definitely loved every second of it.”



Lustig said one of the initiatives he’s most proud of was his effort to ensure that interest rates on student loans didn’t double. He said he participated in a conference call (alongside other university student government presidents) with President Barack Obama about the issue.

And although the 56th session has barely finished, President-elect Allie Curtis is already thinking about producing results in the 57th session.

“Everything I mentioned in my campaign has tangible results,” Curtis said after the meeting. “I wouldn’t have run with anything if there wasn’t some result or something we could do out there to alleviate the issue at hand.”

Curtis said she plans to maintain a strong relationship with Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety to ensure student safety both on and off campus.

“DPS and SPD are going to be looking over the past program they implemented here on campus and they’re assessing it to determine whether or not it has actually made campus safer,” she said.

Earlier this year, DPS Advisory Board member Belen Crisp said she planned on helping create an app or website that would help students find the closest and most viable option for a ride home based on their location. Curtis said she hopes to see progress on this initiative.

Among other proposals, Curtis said she will immediately tackle putting together MayFest with University Union and other organizations. SA plays a central role in putting together the logistics for the event such as obtaining liquor licenses and securing a venue, Curtis said.

Making the process of getting credit for internships is something Curtis also said she plans to make easier for students. She plans to propose ideas like creating a specific class designed for internship credit.

Both Lustig and Curtis said they feel SA has made a lot of progress in the last few years. When they first joined SA in 2010, both said only about 10 people attended the meetings, compared to a now nearly full auditorium.

“It’s what you decide to do once you are elected into SA that matters,” Lustig said. “We have a unique opportunity here.”





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